A computer's file system organizes data for storage and retrieval. Different types of operating systems provide different types of file systems. In some families of operating systems (e.g., the Windows® family of operating systems by Microsoft® of Redmond, Wash.), different versions of the operating system have a relatively uniform standard for file systems. In other families of operating systems, such as the various versions of operating systems based on the UNIX® operating system, different types of file systems may be used. For example, operating systems based on UNIX® may utilize the XFS® file system, the B-Tree File System (BTRFS), or the Extended File System (ext) family of file systems (e.g., ext3, ext4, etc.), among others.
This variation causes difficulty for entities that support operations on such file systems. For example, to provide data management capabilities when a new UNIX®-based distribution is released, a vendor may need to make changes to the code of their management software. This may necessitate that the software be completely rebuilt, an operation that can take an extended period of time (e.g., about six months). This rebuilding may need to be done each time a new distribution is released in order to provide up-to-date capabilities, which may require near-continuous updating of the management software.